By Lucien Wilkinson - Melville Times/Southern Gazette editor
THE introduction of new penalties for people bringing alcohol into Perth sporting arenas is a welcome step toward stamping out an ugly aspect of our sporting culture.
As of September 5, it will be an offence to bring liquor into venues including the WACA, Patersons Stadium, nib Stadium and Ascot and Belmont park racecourses.
This will apply to people doing so at any of ten major sports arenas in Perth, also including Gloucester Park, Challenge Stadium, Arena Joondalup, Perth Motorplex and Cannington Greyhounds, without the licensee’s consent.
The decision followed consultation with the operators of the venues and reflected their desire to tackle alcohol-related, antisocial behaviour at their grounds.
The move is a necessary one for a state that is no exception to a nation-wide culture of obnoxious inebriation as being synonymous with celebrating sport.
A minority of attendees at sporting events is responsible for perpetuating the problem and in the case of these amendments, it is thankfully not a case of the majority being penalised because of an ill-behaved few.
With any luck, the football may soon return to being an appropriate place to take the kids – without earmuffs.